Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said the European Union must improve how its foreign policy machinery works if it wants to act as a real geopolitical player.
Speaking during the Gymnich press conference Q&A in Druids Glen, County Wicklow, Ireland, Kallas said the EU treaties already define roles and obligations, but over time too much duplication has developed.
She warned that with Member State budgets under pressure and the next EU budget under discussion, Europe must look seriously at how it functions.
Kallas said that if the European External Action Service is already doing something well, there is no point in duplicating the same work inside the Commission.
She stressed that ministers broadly support the current institutional setup, but believe it must be better implemented.
For Kallas, the key issue is the role of the High Representative/Vice-President — not only as High Representative for foreign affairs, but also as Vice-President of the European Commission.
She said the EU’s foreign policy is shaped with Member States, but many of the instruments that matter to countries outside Europe — trade, development aid, enlargement, migration and visas — sit with the Commission.
Her message was clear: the problem is not the treaties. The problem is implementation. If Europe wants to be a geopolitical player, it must bring its foreign-policy tools together and make the system work in practice.
#eudebates #KajaKallas #EUForeignPolicy
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said the European Union must improve how its foreign policy machinery works if it wants to act as a real geopolitical player.
Speaking during the Gymnich press conference Q&A in Druids Glen, County Wicklow, Ireland, Kallas said the EU treaties already define roles and obligations, but over time too much duplication has developed.
She warned that with Member State budgets under pressure and the next EU budget under discussion, Europe must look seriously at how it functions.
Kallas said that if the European External Action Service is already doing something well, there is no point in duplicating the same work inside the Commission.
She stressed that ministers broadly support the current institutional setup, but believe it must be better implemented.
For Kallas, the key issue is the role of the High Representative/Vice-President — not only as High Representative for foreign affairs, but also as Vice-President of the European Commission.
She said the EU’s foreign policy is shaped with Member States, but many of the instruments that matter to countries outside Europe — trade, development aid, enlargement, migration and visas — sit with the Commission.
Her message was clear: the problem is not the treaties. The problem is implementation. If Europe wants to be a geopolitical player, it must bring its foreign-policy tools together and make the system work in practice.
#eudebates #KajaKallas #EUForeignPolicy
